Rusty Halo
by Tune4Toons
Summary: All Eren wanted to do was fix a car to leave the slums. Meeting a black market dealer name Levi only brings him closer to his dream, but with reality came sacrifice, and sacrifice was a risk he couldn't afford to take. — Eventual EreRi. Futuristic!AU.
1. Battery

_A/N: So after some consideration, I decide to upload this on my main account rather than on a new pseud account to make things easier. First dabble in SnK. It'll be RivaEre/EreRi eventually, but for now, hope you enjoy. :)_

* * *

_Dreams are no different from reality. _

_The only difference is choosing which one to believe in._

* * *

Eren Jaeger ducked behind a garbage crate as flashes of neon blue lights rushed through the streets in front of him. His heart raced as a mantra repeated in his head. _They can't see me. They can't see me._ Creeping behind a wall, he watched giant wheel-like bikes and a truck skid to a stop in front of closed-off building, voices filling the air as Eren prayed none glanced his way. Shrouded figures stepped out of their bikes—one, two, five, seven. _Fuck, they're so many of them…_ None of the men bother taking off their helmets before one of them knocked on the door. "Open up! Police!"

_"Please don't get arrested, okay?" _Armin's words whispered in the back of his mind, but he was so close to his hideout. Just a couple of blocks away, and he was free.

Soon the police kicked the door open as it slammed against the wall with thud so loud it rumbled throughout the streets. They all stampeded through, footsteps shaking the ground beneath Eren's feet as he waited. Shouts sounded from inside the building and a few seconds later, a man in canvas jacket flew out, crashing into the ground as police men grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back. The man tried to protest, but was quickly met with a whip to the back of his legs, Eren cringing when the man groaned.

More men filed out of the building carrying engine parts and oil canisters. The man had been caught for possessing illegal materials. But Eren's breathing remained unsteady. Was this a one-guy hit or were they going to search the whole block? He swallowed. He had to get back to his hideout.

_"The police are relentless."_

_I know. Don't remind me._

Eren adjusted his position when his foot knocked over a can on the ground, and one of the policemen turned around. He kept low, crouched behind the wall as his heartbeats sped up. Closer and closer, footsteps approached as he thought of running, but still he stayed. Closer and closer, he spotted the policemen's shadow growing beside him.

_"The moment they catch you, they will hunt you and strip you down till you have nothing to hide."_

_I know._ Closer and closer, he came. _Don't remind me._

"We're leaving," a different policemen soon called out, and the approaching figure stopped. Eren held his breath, listening as the footsteps moved back to where the group gathered. A few seconds of silence passed. Then the roar of engines filled the air as the truck and the bikes drove back the way they came past Eren, flashes of neon blue blurring past at their wake, never noticing his shadow growing from their lights.

The moment Eren was sure they were gone, he stood up and ran across the street toward his hideout. _Too close, way too close_.

In no time, he found himself before door of an abandoned house and didn't hesitate to enter. He made sure to limit the noise he made as he closed the door behind him and quickly walked down the steps to the basement garage.

If he didn't want to get caught, the lights must stay off. The only one he could have was the headlamp on his forehead. Two months' worth of effort could risk him years of jail for life, but he had try. He needed the practice and the means to escape this hellhole. For now, the only sounds he heard were his breathing, his heartbeats, and the drilling water from the storm drain outside.

Setting his backpack down on a table against the wall, he stared into the shadow before switching his light on, and the first thing he saw was his lamp reflecting off a metal body frame.

It was just as he left it, an ancient mustang with green paint chips peeling off its sides.

_"Be careful, Eren."_

"I know. Don't remind me," he said despite him being the only one in the damp garage. The last piece he needed to install was the battery box sitting in his backpack.

All that was left now was to get some fuel to start it up.

He couldn't wait to see the look on Armin's face when he was done.

* * *

"No way."

Eren stared at a bedridden Armin, leaning on top of the spine of the chair he sat on. He always thought Armin's apartment was small for all the old books and shelves surrounding his walls, but he grinned at Armin's agape expression. "I told you I could do it. It's no rich-worthy mustang, but all you need are a few old parts and you can easily fix one up yourself."

"Are you crazy? The fact that it's a ground car means oil engine. Oil engine means oil. Oil is illegal, remember?"

It had only been illegal ever since the local mine exploded ten years ago. "Yeah, I know."

"That's why the rich use flight cars and cyclo-bikes. You get caught with even a ground car part and you'll be behind bars for—" But before he finished, he started coughing as if he was close to hacking out his lungs.

Eren gasped. "Hey, calm down! I'll get some water!" Then he stood up and rushed straight to the kitchen.

"No, stop," Armin said between coughs. "It's okay. Don't worry."

Despite it all, Eren still brought him a glass and sat back down, watching him take slow gulps. "Does it hurt?"

"You mean my throat? A bit, but it'll be fine."

"Stop saying that, Armin. Get better, okay? Then I can finally show you the mustang. It's ancient—you'll love it. Trust me." Soon Eren stood back up as he grabbed his bag. "Do you want me to get you anything from Annie? I need to ask her another favour."

He shook his head. "It's okay. Say hi to her for me though."

Eren nodded as he headed toward the door. He had been to this apartment so many times that it was almost a second home to him, but it was only recently he'd be greeted by Armin in bed each time he did. He needed medicine, they both knew, but neither of them could afford any, especially when they didn't have family to help them. If only Armin's folks hadn't died so soon, not that Eren's was any better off.

He turned the knob when Armin's voice broke his trance.

"Be careful, Eren."

So he glanced over his shoulder and smiled. "I know. Thanks for reminding me."

Then he stepped out the door, praying that the next time he came, Armin would be standing at the door to greet him.

* * *

Eren made a mad dash toward the one person he knew could help him with his mustang: Annie Leonhart, a local mechanic in the Karanese District known for always having parts when you needed them. Her garage sat hidden amidst ash coated buildings holding themselves up with nothing more than cracked walls and shattered windows—northeast of the Shiganshina District close to where Armin's apartment resided. The puddles along the asphalt road and the pack on Eren's back only slowed his speed. However, it didn't stop him from bursting through a steel door and sliding across the floor towards the railing where a woman sat at a table in the corner of a floor cluttered with shelves full of machine parts.

"Annie, I got one ready in my garage—not tested yet, but I told you I could easily fix a car up!"

Annie sighed. "You can't be serious."

Eren predicted her to say that, however, she didn't even bother turning around to face him as he dashed down the steps and ran up to her. Blonde hair tucked in a bun and her denim sleeves sleeked with grease, both her hands and her attention remained locked on the machine piece sitting in front of her on a table littered with tools.

Then he slammed his hands onto the desk, eyes locked on Annie. "I need your help again."

"Eren, if you think I'm gonna do another favour for you—"

"I'm telling you I have the car ready to go now, and I know this is crazy, but if you can find me some oil for it, I can easily drive away from here and get some parts we can use. You can fix up whatever you need, I can drive my car, and everyone's happy."

Then she stopped, swivelling around on her chair to face him. Her expression remained so still, Eren could see the bags under her eyes as she shot him a glare. "It's pointless. I already put myself and my contacts at enough risk to get you that body frame, let alone oil. Besides, what are you going to do if I did? Drive to the borders where patrol is heaviest? Hope to find town nearby if you're lucky enough to not get caught? What about driving back if you still have enough oil by then?"

He swallowed.

Rolling her eyes, she turned back to the machine piece on the table and continued tinkering with it. "It's too risky. There's not enough oil, and it's illegal to use anyway. The air's polluted enough as it is. I'd rather not die from inhaling more of it."

_Fuck._ Annie's the only one he knew who could smuggle oil across town. With the huge decline of fossil fuels, many of the rich switched to agricultural-based gasses, but the engines that run on that were expensive and food supplies themselves were on an all time low. Soon enough, the bulging divide between rich and poor shattered the middle class.

If only the mine never exploded, coating the world in ash, dust, and smog.

"What are you working on anyway?" he said.

"It's a small ammo compartment of an abandoned gun turret a friend of mine found the other day. He thought with a bit of fixing, we could use it as an assembly part for the armour we've been working on."

He raised an eyebrow. "But turrets are huge! What are you trying to do? Break down the military's walls?"

"Same reason you want oil: to get past the borders. Unlike your car though, we built off one of the military's old models. Stick this turret piece on it and…"

"So you think me wanting to run my car is pointless, but you guys building battle armour is not?"

She chuckled. "At least we're being realistic with our chances. Anyways, you still owe me." Under the table, she opened a drawer and pulled out a package wrapped in paper. "I'd do this myself, but I have other errands to run, so I need you to head to the abbey in the Chlorba District and pick up some parts for me."

"Are you crazy? That's the market!"

"Yes, it's sketchy, so make sure to also have some sort of handgun or a knife handy in case the guys get a bit too close. You're a big boy now. Want more favours?" She shoved the package into his arms. "Then do the work."

The moment she let go, the box dropped like a dead weight in his hands, but the insides rattled as he adjusted his hold. Either small machine parts or money, he guessed. And he knew they were worth something if it was from Annie. Maybe if he was lucky, he could negotiate for some extra parts for himself too.

"Make sure you get my complete order: a couple packs of G90s and the new ARN-12 models. They'll come in a case." Eren opened his mouth, but Annie cut him off. "You don't need to know what they are until you see them. Just make sure you bring them back safely."

"Who do I go to for that?"

"Some guy with black hair, I don't know. He apparently knows a friend of my friend's, but I've never met him myself."

He swallowed.

"Heard he sells some of the best parts you can get your hands on in town. Even though he's good at hiding, I heard he'll stick out from the crowd the moment you spot him."

Eren scoffed. "Like that's gonna help." Stuffing the package in his backpack, he found his head wracking with more questions as he walked up the steps back towards the entrance he came from. Of all the times he had to run errands for Annie, this topped everything as the closest attempt she'd done as indirect murder to him. He was about to leave through the door when Annie called out to him.

"Wait."

He turned around, locking eyes with her.

"There's a card under the package. Memorise it and rip it up before you get there."

Probably a code phrase, Eren figured, not that he'd ever used one himself.

"I still have more for you to do when you get back," Annie then spun back around, facing the desk again, "so don't fuck up."

_Sure, if I don't end up dead first._


	2. Washer

_Definition:_

_Teedo / ti dəʊ / informal_  
_1. Teen doe; inexperienced young blood_

* * *

_Fear is not a challenge; it's a precaution. _

_Most of the time, there's a reason for it._

* * *

Rain began to pour down from ashen clouds above as Eren repeated the code in his head—_'Fix the wings'?_—slowly walking along the street toward the abbey without a care for his soon soaked clothes.

Eren figured Annie got a lot of her stuff from the market in the Chlorba District out west—the opposite end of town from Karanese—but this was his first time setting foot in it. The moment he took a turn around the street corner, most of the sight mirrored his expectations. The entire alley was littered with tarps and people smoking against walls full of washed out graffiti. Each person carried a similar disgruntled face whenever he turned—some with beards, a couple bald or with scars, a mix between middle aged and young people, but all with rain-soaked clothes and stares trained on Eren as if he had a neon arrow pointing down on him from above. It was common to see homeless hanging around empty buildings, but he'd never seen so many huddled in one area before. No wonder Annie told him to bring a weapon in case; the only source of defence he had besides his limited strength was a small pocket knife nestled in his jeans.

Left and right, tables under the tarps lined the road as people from the sides walked closer to them, calling out offers and displaying miscellaneous junk. Of course Annie's hints were useless; not a single person stood out to him. If anyone did stand out, it was probably him out of everyone else.

"Hey kid," a gruff voice called from behind. "What's a teedo like you doing here?"

Eren turned around, gaze meeting those of a tall, moustached man. Dirt coated both the man's blond hair and canvas coat the way others were soaked, but Eren figured he stood out enough from the rest.

"I just need help fixing my wings, sir."

"Wings?" The man shot him a stare, brow raised, as if Eren was the craziest person standing in the area. "Like flight cars, jets, car spoilers, or what?"

"No, I'm supposed to be picking up an order. I even got a package." And he opened his sack, leaning the insides toward the man. "See—" But Eren cut himself short, his breath hitching in his throat.

By now, several people nearby stood up from their spots or pushed themselves off the wall, creeping in closer as if to take a peek inside as well. He glanced at the man again, who still looked as confused as earlier. _Fuck_.

"Sorry, forget what I said."

Even as he closed up his bag again, he earned more stares from surrounding people as he walked away, travelling further down the rain-soaked market. He didn't bother turning back to get a glimpse of the man's reaction because he already got his answer.

_Wrong guy, dammit._

The more carefully Eren observed his surroundings, the more younger faces he caught huddling behind crumbled doorways or sitting under tarps, glimpses of people who could've lived in apartments or even houses had life not screw them over. Where was the guy he needed though? Despite the variety, each face carried the same pale or dirt coated skin gained from being too exposed to the elements.

Soon he felt a force jerk his pack and throw him backward into a smaller alleyway. Eren crashed onto the pavement, muddy puddle water splashing into his clothes and drenching them further. He didn't even get time to yell before a hand pulled him up from the back of his shirt and shoved him against the wall. Fingers wrapped around his neck, clogging the air in his lungs.

The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was a bald hulk of a man sneering at him, one hand on his throat, the other holding his back away from reach.

"Give it back," Eren chocked out, but his breathing thinned as the man squeezed his neck harder. His vision blurred, eyes watering up as his hands desperately trying to rip the ambusher's fingers off his neck while reaching for his pack.

The man only held it farther out. "You won't need it, so do yourself a favour and pretend you lost it the moment you out it down."

"Somebody!" Eren squeaked out, and for the first time in a long time, he felt helpless. "Hel—"

The man squeezed his neck harder. Soon, he couldn't even choke out his words. Air tried to claw its way out, but it stayed trapped.

Eren soon became dizzy, head drunk in a light-headed daze as he decided to reach for his pocket knife instead. Both options and air ran low. The longer he thought, the more the man's nails dug into his neck. Fingers slipped into his pocket, wrapping around a blunt object. His thumb searched for its side button.

Using the last of his strength, he thrust his knee up between the man's legs. The man cried with a yell, and Eren felt his grip around his neck loosen. Then Eren whipped out his knife. The blade flicked open and slashed across the man's face. Blood spewed. Then the ambusher screamed, stumbling backward and dropping Eren.

On the floor, coughs forced themselves out of Eren's throat, but he had to get away. _Forget the package! _He'd have to make it up to Annie another day.

Eren scrambled onto his feet and ran as fast as he could. The man groaned behind him and his breathing sped up, heartbeats rumbling an earthquake in his chest. Too bad he didn't crawl very far before he heard a click behind him. One second—

_BANG!_ A bullet grazed his shoulder and he crumpled to the ground with a sharp cry, left side burning under the rain. His mind yelled out: _Gun, gun!_

Glancing back, he caught the man covering the eye where his blade slashed him. The ambusher growled as he held up his gun once more. "Kid, you could've made this easier."

_Click. _

_BANG!_

Another gunshot cut off Eren before he could scream, and he stopped breathing, dropping to the floor. _I knew I was gonna die today_. Eyes shut tight. Shoulder stung as heartbeats blasted on full volume as he took in more erratic breaths. He waited for the man's voice, for a laugh or footsteps approaching his cowered figure. Instead—

_Thud_.

A body dropped to the ground behind him, metal clattering on puddled cement.

_Hold on_.

The ambusher dropped his gun.

Eyes snapped open as he glanced behind him. Eren gasped. The man laid flat on his back on the floor, blood pooling under his back. He slowly crawled over to where the ambusher laid, grabbing the backpack sitting beside the body. Soon Eren spotted what caused the fall: a bullet hole smacked right in the centre of the man's chest. Eyes widened. He only had a knife with him, which meant—

"Oi, get up."

He gasped. A softer, yet sharper voice. Eren's first thought was to run, but this guy also had a gun. So he slowly stood up, not daring to face him.

"Your face. Now."

_Fuck. So much for that_. He swallowed before chewing his cheek as he turned around. Eyes soon locked with those of a different man standing at the alleyway's entrance, pistol in one hand aimed at Eren's chest. Rain poured on the man's black jacket that wrapped him as if like a cape, his white shirt sleeves exposed from where he held the gun, but no dirt coated any part of him. Not only that, his undercut hair and shaved sides also looked too groomed. Too clean.

After a minute of silence, the guy finally lowered his gun while scoffing. "Just a fucking brat, fantastic."

Eren found glancing back and forth between the guy before him and the dead ambusher behind him. "W-were you the one who—"

"Relax, I'm not gonna do anything."

The guy approached closer. Soon at five feet away, the next thing Eren noticed was his stature; the man stood at least ten centimetres shorter than him, but despite heights, his stance said no nonsense. Eren's muscles tensed, fingers tightening around the knife in his hand.

"How's your shoulder?"

Eren stepped back when the guy's right hand moved. Eyes flickered from the hand to the gun down on his side. If he attacked, Eren had to stay low—cut off his height disadvantage—and grab the gun. _Gotta be fast. Gotta get home_. Then he waited for the guy to walk closer till he was within arm's reach— _Now!_

Eren shot out his left hand for the gun. However, the guy dropped his elbow down in that instant, knocking Eren's arm aside before grabbing and twisting it over Eren's shoulder.

Eyes widened and his skin burned where the bullet grazed him as if they were being torn apart. Eren tried to swing his knife from his right, but the guy grabbed his other arm and twisted it back as well.

"Let go!" Eren screamed through the pain, trying to wriggle free, and a second later, the man did let go, causing Eren to stumble forward. _Wha—?_

But before Eren could turn around, the man struck his neck, and everything blinked to black.

Of course he hated going to the market.

* * *

He awoke to the glow of a dim light, squinting at first as his blurred vision slowly cleared up. It took three seconds for him to register that he was still alive. Took two more seconds to sit up only for his shoulder to throb and force him back down with a hiss. Cushions sank beneath him. _Couch_. Besides the surrounding plaster walls, the coffee table and the carpet next to him, plus the lamp on the bedside table behind him, the room was empty. _Someone's house._

_Wait_.

Pushing himself back up in a seating position, he groaned as he held onto his shoulder, feeling bandages beneath his— _Wait, when…?_ This wasn't his shirt. Rather than his old tank top and canvas jacket, he had on a black hoodie, no shirt.

"Feeling better?"

Eren gasped as he snapped his head to the right. There he was, the clean-shirted man sitting cross-legged on a chair as if he didn't try to break Eren's arms earlier, a brown package sitting on his lap. _Shoot, that's Annie's_. But he stayed on the couch. His last attempt landed him in this position, after all.

"You were out for a few hours, but its night now, so unless you want any jumpers or police on your ass, better for us both to stay here."

"Who are you?"

Eren watched the man scrutinise his movements, eyes travelling from his face to his fist-balled hands as he slowly unwrapped the package, a slight "Hmph" escaping when he caught Eren staring back. "Someone who heard a little teedo's scream."

_No, stop opening it, no no no, she's gonna kill me! _His mind on overdrive, Eren glared, but his best guess was that the man was the one who bandaged his shoulder while he was knocked out. _Because of him, no less_. He took in a breath, holding back any curses from slipping out as he asked, "What's your name?"

"Yours first, last name too."

He gritted his teeth. "Eren Jaeger." Seemed like he wasn't going to get any information out of him. The guy had the upper hand, after all, Eren watching as he folded the brown wrapping paper and placed it on the couch's arm rest.

Without the paper, inside the package was a red tool box the man took one second to flip open. Its contents? Assorted gears, nuts, and bolts. Compartment under it: a couple of metal tubes and— Eren froze. The man pulled out a washer from within an entire pile and flipped it around for Eren to see—engraved on its surface was a random set of numbers and letters, though the man's words said otherwise.

"You realise there's an address on this, right? How often do you go to the market?"

"None of your business," Eren snapped, but he couldn't help but wonder about the engravings himself, watching as the man mouthed each character to himself. When he glanced up, he realised the man was still staring at him all the same, only this time his expression softened.

"So you're just the messenger." A statement, not a question. Soon, the man stood up and walked toward the door across the room, leaving the box to the side.

"Wait." He stopped, and Eren let out a sigh. "I told you my name. It's only fair to say yours."

A pause. "Levi."

"Last name?"

"None of your business." A reaction Eren expected, though the words spoken soon after were not. "You do however have different unfinished business with me. Wings or blades?"

"Excuse me?"

Levi groaned, pulling out the engraved washer. "Your order: wings or blades?"

Eyes widened, and Eren found himself stuttering. "W-wings, sir."

"I'll see what I can do." First, he entered the doorway in Eren's direct line of view and when he came back, he tossed Eren's old tank top and jacket onto the couch. "Got them cleaned—the stains were disgusting—but they need to dry. Be sure to return my hoodie when you're done. For now, rest up. Don't touch my stuff, don't get my place dirty, and don't open the door for anyone. If you do, I have no problems kicking your ass outside and letting you shit your pants when another guy jumps you."

Before Eren could say anything, he already heard Levi close the door. He sighed as he fell back on the couch. At least he finally found the right person. His shoulder still throbbed from earlier, but it was bandaged nicely. _Oh right_. He'd have to thank Levi later, but why did he help him?

Shifting to the edge of the couch, Eren reached over the arm rest and grabbed Annie's tool box off the floor, lifting the lid open. In both compartments, everything remained as they were, but Eren caught a slip of paper sticking out from behind the lid's underside.

_Is this supposed to be for Levi?_ Curious fingers ripped it out without a second thought, and he quickly unfolded it. It was a document of some sort, not that Eren knew what it was. Slipping it into his pants pocket, he figured he could give it to Levi later if he remembered.

But the questions didn't stop coming. Glancing at his clothes again, all the grease and dirt stains from before were gone now; they were practically spotless. Levi dressed too cleanly to be someone from the slums, but his almost empty room lacked the luxury to be someone from the upper class either.

Annie must be pissed right now since he was getting his stuff late, though he could live with that, but tomorrow, he'd have to pick up rations from the food bank for Armin and himself.

Eren sighed, closing his eyes as he laid on the couch. Hopefully Armin was doing alright without him for the night.


	3. Engine

_If someone told Eren the grass was greener on the other side, he'd wish it was true. If you told Eren's mother that, she'd tell you many others wished to be in your position. If you told Eren's father that, he'd only laugh._

_Then he'd tell you grass didn't exist anymore._

* * *

Eren snapped awake drenched in his own sweat. His head pounded, his heart raced on overdrive, and he panted as a hand collapsed on his forehead. A dream. Had to be. But it slipped away as fast as he woke up, never giving him a second to remember it. Whatever it was, he wondered if it was best for it to stay forgotten.

He shifted to sit back up, but caught his jacket sliding off his stomach as if it'd been a blanket. _But I never_— Shuffling from the kitchen behind him caught his attention.

Levi.

He walked in with a bowl of brown rice, broccoli, and steaming sausages, handing it to Eren. "Eat fast and change. We're leaving soon."

Eyes widened. "You can afford this?"

"Just hurry up," Levi said as he walked into another room. "I don't want any jumpers knowing we're here."

To be honest, Eren hadn't eaten this well in a long time, last time being his mother's cooking years ago—though a rice bowl could never cut close to that. He practically shoved the food in his mouth—he caught Levi cringing at the sight when he walked back in the room wearing in black work pants, suspenders, and a cotton shirt—before Eren changed out of Levi's black hoodie and into his tank top. Throwing his backpack on, Eren still couldn't help but feel Levi's sharp gaze trained on his movements when he wiped his face with his arm, but he shook the thought out.

Leaving Levi's place, Eren found himself gaping the moment he stepped out the door. Steel walkways threaded above him like bridges between surrounding metal buildings, some suspended at least five stories high. Down at the ground, Eren followed behind Levi through wide streets. Most of the people around were either travelling merchants from beyond the borders (their hover trucks open from the side rather than the old ground trucks that open from the back), people from the area buying them, mechanics walking along the bridges above them, or the occasional policeman patrolling the streets. Other than that, Eren caught a few young faces peeking out from low gutter windows beside them.

"Trost District," Levi said before Eren could even ask. "Between Chlorba and Karanese. Your first time here."

Again, a statement, not a question. Only this time, Levi was wrong. "First time in this area, but I go to the food bank in Trost close to the Shiganshina—" _Right_. "I have to go to the food bank today."

"I'm not taking you. That's down south, and we're heading northeast. Having you here's already cutting it close, let alone what you need to pick up."

"Then why am I going with you?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not carrying the fuckers all the way down to your place."

"Wait, how big are they?"

Levi didn't answer him and continued walking forward, though Eren was sure he heard him mutter, "Useless."

They soon stopped in front of a metal wall with a tinted window, Eren's confused face reflecting back at him as he watched Levi glance around them.

"Make sure no one's watching."

"Sure…?" But Eren was more interested in watching Levi stare at a small LED screen a few centimetres to the left of the window. Then he knocked on the metal wall in front of him with a fist. A few seconds later, he heard the faint sound of a machine whirring followed by the harsh clangs of a heavy metal object sliding across a grated floor and locking into place from within.

Soon the screen glowed green and Levi turned back to Eren. "Double check the area again."

And he did, nodding as his eyes made a wide sweep behind him. People were either talking with someone else or they were walking in and out of doors. The moment he turned back around though, Levi was nowhere in sight. "Levi?" Eren slowly crept toward the wall, eyes scrutinising both the LED screen and the tinted window. Glancing several centimetres above the window, he caught a glimpse of a small button-shaped chip attached to the wall. Upon a closer look, the centre glowed with a dim blue light—

"Oi, you coming?"

Eyes widened as he turned a three-sixty. Where was Levi's voice coming from?

"Walk forward."

Now Eren was positive he heard him. _But coming from the wall?_ And he did listen, taking a few hesitant steps as if trying to approach as close to the wall as possible without touching it. _Is this new upper class tech? _He perked up at the thought. Maybe Levi turned invisible. Maybe he got sucked into the wall. Maybe he teleported to another place and was speaking through a PA system. If any of that technology did exist though, they were probably only available in the upper class districts. _And are expensive too._

"Keep moving," Levi said, and Eren could hear that annoyed tone dripping out of his words.

He didn't get time to answer before a hand shot out of the wall, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him through. Eren yelped as he stumbled forward; it was as if the wall melted as his body phased through. As much as he wanted to scream, his eyes took five seconds to process the new sight that blinked to form.

No more sky, only grey walls closing them inside. Built-in white lights lined his surroundings just under the ceiling, and the room itself was at most six by seven metres.

A door soon slid closed behind Eren, and he caught a glimpse of the outside before it lock him in the dimly lit room. "How did you pull me through a wall?"

"Metamorphic hologram," Levi said as he scavenged through different bulky cases stacked in the left corner of the wall close to the door. "You're a teedo to the bone."

"Not my fault; you rarely see that stuff here. Where'd you get it?"

"Connections."

Levi soon pulled out a case as long as his arm span—Eren's eyes widened; it was thick enough to house an engine, a vacuum tank, or even an ignition box. "This is yours," Levi said. "An ARN-12 missile and G90 gunpowder."

"Wait, what?" Eren grabbed the case out of Levi's hand—its weight guesstimating at around twenty five kilos—before dropping it on the floor and unclamping its locks. Flipping the lip open, his gaze flitted between Levi and a twenty kilo missile fitted within the case's foam alongside a few pouches of G90 powder sitting in the side compartment. "You expect me to carry this back to Karanese? Are you insane?"

"Not my problem. My job's done, so pay up."

"Pay with what? Annie didn't give me anything else besides the package back at your place."

"Annie Leonhart?" Levi's voice pitched up slightly. Eren could've sworn he caught his beady eyes grow for a split second the moment he said her name. "And no, the package was only confirmation. I expect payment in full. Now."

This couldn't be happen. Forget about his chances of getting Annie to find oil for him. Armin was probably worried sick by now, and if Eren took the case today, he wouldn't be able to carry the rations from the food bank at the same time, let alone save himself if someone jumped him on the way home. "How about I pick it up tomorrow or so and drop off your pay at the same time? I don't have anything else with me; this isn't even my stuff!"

"You're pushing it, Jaeger. Getting your order here's already a pole up my ass. At the least, you owe me collateral."

"Like what?" He let out a shaky chuckle. "The only thing I can do is be your slave, but I already work for someone else and she still has more work for me when I get back—"

"Then make that your collateral," Levi cut him off. "I got stuff you can do, and regardless, if you don't show up tomorrow," he started walking towards the door when he clasped a hand on Eren's shoulder, "I have no problems killing you on the spot."

Eren tensed up, mouth opening, but the words stayed trapped in his throat as he watched Levi walk away. Soon he punched in codes on an LED screen beside the entrance. The screen soon turned green as a machine within the walls hummed, and the metal door slid open once more.

"Be at my place before sundown tomorrow. Don't be late, and clean yourself up. I'd rather not see you look like shit."

Then he left the room, leaving Eren to regret ever asking Annie for favours.

* * *

Walking down the street towards the food bank, Eren caught sight of an auto shop, garage door wide open empty of all car parts. If he blinked, he could see his younger self sitting on a chair, observing his father working on the bottom of a Kia.

_"Someday, you'll know how to do this too."_

His dad used to work here, though this wasn't the only garage he used to work at.

Eren was hesitant to pick up his first wrench, but the moment he did, he'd sneak car parts away from his father's shops and tinkered on them when no one was looking. He didn't consider himself close with his father, but he came on a few of his trips.

Now the garage was home to people camping inside, and it'd been ten years since he last saw his father.

Eren soon spotted a crowd lined up at the street corner, and with a closer look, the line could stretch two blocks long had people not weaved along orange cones policemen set up. He groaned. If he'd made the trip earlier, he wouldn't have to wait at least an hour to get to the front of the line.

Until he saw a familiar bowl cut of blond hair near the front of the food bank.

Eren ran toward him. "Armin! Hey!" But as he did, he caught the glares of many people in the line and two policemen chased after Eren, quickly catching up and grabbing his arms before he could run any further.

"Let go of me!" Eren yelled. "My friend's there; let go!"

"Get back to the end of the line, son. People have waited hours to get here."

"Wait," Armin said, forced voice sounding weaker than yesterday, but loud enough to stop the policemen. "He's with me; we live in the same complex."

Then with a scoff, one of the policemen shoved Eren toward Armin, leaving the two to stand within the gaze of the crowd, Armin quickly pulling Eren into the lineup beside him.

"Where were you?" Armin cut him off. "I thought you got arrested or worse! I didn't see you last night or this morning and even Annie came up to look for you today."

"Sorry, I was still on Annie's errand when I got jumped— but I'm okay now! Someone helped me and patched my shoulder up." Eren quickly added when Armin's eyes grew twice their size. "But what are you doing here, Armin? How'd you get here?"

"Annie brought me here the same time she was looking for you, but does that mean you've seen her yet?"

He shook his head. "Is she pissed?"

"A bit."

They were finally at the front of the line by then, a woman in a green apron and shirt standing by the door with a screen pad, a data base lit in front of her. It was protocol, but Eren could tell from her monotonous tone that she'd spoken the same word at least a hundred times today. "ID?"

Armin turned around and stretched out the back of his neck, revealing a barcode. After Armin was scanned, Eren followed suit. He remembered the first time he asked what the bar codes were for when he was eight. His mother said it was to mark where the chip in their necks were. Every child had one implanted when they were born so the government could look after them.

"Go inside," the woman said, robotic tone still set by protocol. "Someone will help you, and you'll get enough food for the next two weeks."

"I could've done the trip myself, Armin," Eren said.

"Considering the time you actually got to the food bank, you would've been back by midnight. You don't have to do everything yourself."

Despite the reply, Armin's voice came out horse. Eren frowned. "Sure you're okay? You still don't sound so good."

"It's fine; Annie gave me something to help my throat for a few days. She thinks it might be just a stubborn cough and to give it some time to go away."

After being handed the food they needed, Armin carried ten cans of food while Eren lugged ten, the paper in Eren's pocket slipping up whoever he adjusted his hold on the cans.

It'd been a while since the two of them walked together, and the entire street itself was a reminiscent of used-to-be's, where they passed full of low-rise complexes and abandoned shops. They passed an old launder mat Armin's grandfather once owned, a dusty flower shop where the two used to visit a shy girl their age, and a grocery store they visited ten years ago to buy their favourite snacks. Every building now had burnt out lights, hazy windows, and dusty display shelves as left by people who either fled up north for jobs or those who almost plummeted their way six feet under—if not already down there.

"What's with the police today? They aren't usually so many by the food bank, let alone pricks."

"They've been trying to track down people. Just yesterday, they caught a couple of Annie's contacts, busted more for parts possession, and even swept the market down at Chlorba."

"I was at Chlorba yesterday; I didn't see them anywhere!"

"Wait, Annie sent you to Chlorba?" His voice grew frantic. "There was even a shooting there!"

"I know." He chuckled. "I have the injury to prove it."

But right after the words slipped out, Eren cursed under his a breath; he shouldn't have said that. By now, Armin was muttering a string of "Oh no"s long enough to last the rest of the walk to his apartment, and Eren decided to stop talking from there, not wanting to see Armin in even more distress than he already was.

He still chuckled to himself. Having been together their entire life, Armin expressed every danger that came with Eren not thinking-before-doing whether he actually did say his concerns aloud or not. This was only an addition to the hundreds of times he went off on one of his worrying episodes; who knew what he was thinking sometimes. Either way, Armin always looked out for him.

Eren never imagined he'd be the one taking care of Armin now.

Armin stayed silent for the rest of the time. Eren only stared as he opened the door with a hand swipe over the lock, never meeting his gaze as they set the food down. Only after everything was in the apartment did Armin speak again. "Annie told me to pass a message to you. It's a rumour, but you might not like it."

Eren swallowed; he seldom heard Armin's tone drop as low as it did.

Armin let out a deep sigh as if he'd been holding it back the entire walk home. "Your car's been taken."

Eren froze. "You sure that's what she said?"

He nodded, swallowing as silence cemented between them. Thoughts raced through Eren's mind. When? How? Was it true—was it not?

"Eren."

His attention snapped back. Armin only stared him in the eye, exchanging silent words of agreement they had between them time and time again. "Be careful."

"I know."

Just like always. Just like now.

And Eren dropped everything in his hands, bolting out the door without turning back, leaving Armin alone in the room to stare at the cans now scattered on the floor.

Eren raced out of the apartment and into the streets, kicking past plastic bags and puddles as he counted the number of blocks in his head. _Seven blocks, six blocks, five, four_… He erased the stares of people he passed from his head, ignored the surrounding buildings staring down at him from above, and almost tripped on a pothole in the ground because he was almost there.

Taking a left turn to where he almost got spotted by the police yesterday, he rushed past the crate across the street. There it was, the abandoned house—his hideout. However, Eren skidded into a stop when he felt his breath hitch up.

The entrance was kicked open, door swinging without its hinges to hold it still.

Eren took slow steps walking in, eyes scanning the insides of the house. The floorboards squeaked beneath his feet. He held his breath as he walked down the stairs to the basement garage. Maybe it was just a rumour. His heart kept thumping with step. But this was Armin's word— no, Annie's. It didn't ease his shivers though.

The moment he made it to the bottom of the steps, he steadied himself with one big breath. Then he glanced around the stairwell. There it was: the garage door swung wide open, but not once did he expect to see a green mustang sitting with its back turned to him. Eren let out a sigh; so it was a rumour.

However upon further inspection, wheels were missing on all four sides. He scrunched his brows when—

_Oh no_.

Dashing over to the front of the car, he popped open the hood. Then he gasped. Everything under the hood was gone; the fuse box, the motor, and the water reservoir. The filters, the fuel pump, and the battery box. Even the pistons, the ignition, and the radiator were gone too.

The entire engine and two months of work. Stolen.

There was no way he could work here anymore.

* * *

A small beep sounded in Armin's ear. _"Is he gone now?"_

He pressed the earchip he had on. "Yeah, it worked."

_"Nice job. I'll be there soon."_

Then the chip in his ear shut off. Armin sighed, releasing the button before picking up the cans off the floor. It wasn't right, but he had to. There was so much more he could've told Eren, but knowing him, he wouldn't understand. At least Armin had his old chip recorder resting in his pocket—something he'd have to give Eren the next time he saw him.

Then he spotted a slip of paper hidden beneath the cans, and he picked it up, unfolding the creases. Was this Eren's? He scanned through the words. This was an important document, he figured as he stuffed it in his pocket. He'd have to give that to Eren too another day.

Before Armin knew it, his throat clogged up and he started coughing on his sleeve again, each one harder than the last. Leaning on the kitchen countertop, he groaned, air grinding against his lungs with every breath he took. So Annie's cough drops didn't last for long. Couldn't even swallow without the aches either. Armin stared at his sleeve and his eyes widened. _No way_… Blood speckled its surface. He couldn't let Eren find out about this either. As much as he wanted the words to leave, he had to hold them in.

A knock on the door shifted his attention over. _It's too early_. He walked over with hesitant steps, hand slowly turning the knob as he put on a smile.

But once it opened, he froze in front of a couple policemen at the door. "W-who are you?" And all he was glad for was that Eren was long gone by now.


	4. Frame

_Coincidences are a mix of will and timing. Luck has nothing to do with it. _

* * *

He just wanted to go home.

Eren let out a wry chuckle to himself as he walked towards Armin's room down the hallway. "They left the car frame," he half-rehearsed to himself.

When he was sure he made it halfway down the hall, he glanced up, but soon froze in place.

Armin's door creaked, unlocked door left swinging from the draft of cold air, silence beckoning him in. He walked to the door, pushing it open and felt his heart dropped when he saw what was inside. Cans laid scattered on the kitchen floor, a couple kicked away as far as to the window. Dirt footprints speckled the floor, and the person he'd expected to see was replaced with dust.

_What happened here?_

Was this the police's work? He knew they'd been after Annie for years—and by association, Eren—if they found managed to track them down. What if they took Armin because they were looking for him? His head rattled at the thought.

By his feet, he noticed a small chip hidden beneath the cans and picked it up. It was small, like a button from a shirt, but he knew what it was: Armin's holographic recorder. Not only that, the blinking red light on its back said there are recordings saved inside. Of course he wouldn't leave him without some word left behind.

However, voices in the hallway caught Eren's attention. Two men— "There, door's open."

"Think we'll find the suspect here?"

_—Fuck, police! _Options scrambled in his head as he searched the apartment for hiding spots. Closet? _Can't fit there_. Under the bed? _Too obvious_. Window? _What if policemen were outside as well?_

The policemen footsteps were closing in. Eren sucked in a breath as he soon sets his gaze on the cupboard under the sink. It'd be a tight squeeze, but he couldn't afford to get caught right now. Before the police reached the door, Eren dived down and crawled into cupboard, taking care to limit any noise as he quickly closed himself inside.

Two figures soon entered the room—Eren could only make out their shadows from the little light that pierced through the bottom of the cupboard doors; he couldn't risk opening up the door by even a crack, so all he had to go by to have a feel on their locations were heavy footsteps and voices too clear for his liking.

"Sure he lives here?"

"In the building complex, yes. In this apartment room, likely but doubtful."

"Whoever did live here sure made a run for it. Our guy's ID's in the system, right?"

"Code number, not his face, but he's registered to this complex."

Eren held his breath, but his legs started cramping up in the tight position he held himself in. The way his chest thumped was too loud; each one pounded in his ears as he prayed the policemen couldn't hear them. They must've taken Armin; there was no other explanation. It didn't matter how small your offense was: murder, theft, involvement by association. Once they took you into custody…

The cupboard door soon creaked—

"Did you hear something?"

_Fuck! _

—and Eren cursed under his breath. His foot had slipped out of place and pushed the door open a crack. Through the opening where light lined down his body, he spotted a shadow moving closer toward his direction.

He couldn't see the man's eyes; they were covered by his tinted visor. _Fuck, don't come here, don't come here, don't come here!_ But Eren's gaze scrambled across the man's figure; black helmet lined with neon blue, black bullet proof vest broading the guy's chest, and black boots clanking against the floor.

Certain the policemen hadn't seen him yet, his breathing still shook when he watch the man's hand reach for the cupboard door. Five centimetres, four—he shut his eyes tight—_three, two, one…_

"We got a runner!" the other policemen yelled from the door, and the one in front of Eren immediately sprinted right toward the exit. He listened as footsteps stampede outfox the apartment and into the hallway, echoes of shouts fading into the background.

Not antng to take the chance yet, Eren waited until he was sure he was sitting with the company of silence before slowly opening the cupboard with a slight creak and crawled out into the floor.

Thah was way too close, way too many close calls these past few days alone. Blaming it on luck was too easy; Eren lived long enough to know luck disguised themselves as omens.

Couldn't stay in this apartment either, it seemed.

He sighed. "Where are you, Armin…?"

* * *

If he valued his safety, he knew he shouldn't be going to Annie.

And yet here he was anyway making a dash to her garage, hoping to find an answer—wishing, begging, _pleading_ to himself that she knew everything like she'd always had. Two years of working for her, he learned her network of people reached from the south most area of Shiganshina, both western and eastern ends of Chlorba and Karanese, and to even northern Trost close oh the border. Considering how she could get her garage stocked with the best car parts available, he wouldn't be surprised if she even had connections to the upper class district Sina north of Trost.

But the moment he skidded to a stop in front of her garage, his hope plummeted six feet under.

Her door swung the same as his hideout and Armin's apartment—kicked down, swinging on its broken hinges as he took slow steps in. The room below lit with a grey gloom; no lights, empty shelves, and shoe imprints scattered across the granite floor. The police were here. And caught the infamous Annie—

_No way_. That didn't sound right. She had other garages. Better than telling her he couldn't get the package—or maybe it was good that he never got her the package at all.

Only one place left to go. Why it was his fault, he didn't know.

Back in Trost, the first place he stopped at was Levi's place, but a few knocks on the door and the lack of responses told him Levi was out for the day, so he decided to head to his garage instead. Eren found himself eyeing passing policemen as they passed by and kept his head low. There were twice the amount as yesterday, at least two patrolling every block. The moment a policeman hit the streets, bystanders cowered into or behind buildings, hovered closer to shop trucks and their tables, or avoided both eye contact and walking in their pathways.

Eren soon stopped in front of the wall Levi led him to yesterday—same tinted window, same LED screen—when he heard a woman's voice call out to him.

"Hey Eren, get over here!"

Eyes widened. _Was that the police? _He glanced over his shoulder, spotting a woman in shorts, a lab coat and tee rushing up to him. The closer she got, the clearer the glasses on her face and the ponytail flopping behind her. Before he could run, she grabbed him in a hug.

He tried to shake her off. "Get off me!"

But the woman's arms only linked tighter over his shoulders. Then she laughed. "Stop struggling; I'm not gonna do anything."

"Who are you?"

"Friend of Levi's. So you are Eren Jaeger! You look even more interesting in person!"

It took a few seconds to process her words before he stopped moving. The woman kept laughing, and Eren opened his mouth, but she cut him off before he could say anything.

"Sorry, but I just wanted to meet the dear who'll be helping me out. You probably had a heart attack for a moment there."

"You're early," Levi cut in from behind the woman, the same matter-of-fact tone greeting Eren as he dreaded having to face him. Levi only stared him down despite how he had to glance up at Eren to do so. What a scowl coming from a shorter man—must be permanently etched to his face, he figured.

They watched as Levi stared into the LED screen beside the window. _Must be a retinal scanner,_ Eren thought. Unconventional to set up, so it must've been at least ten years old for it to be here, a time where police used to reside in-town rather than at the border like now.

Soon the woman urged Eren through the wall and inside Levi's small garage— "Come on, don't be shy." —before Eren couldn't even protest before she shoved him through the hologram wall.

Stumbling forward, Eren swallowed as bright, grey walls morphed ito a dim-lighted room. Glancing over his shoulder, he watched Levi grumble to the woman as they walked in behind him.

"You scared him shitless, you freak."

The woman laughed again. "That's a low blow, but I guess you can do low blows from down there." They only had a height difference of ten centimetres—she was as tall as Eren—but Levi's glare kept Eren from snorting. Then the woman held out a hand to Eren. "Hanji Zoe, human development researcher and weapons specialist. In short terms, Levi works for me."

"Not by choice," Levi said.

"Aww, don't be like that." Hanji flung an arm over his shoulder. "Besides, I'm only here to see this 'special package' you have holed up in your place. Let's get to it!"

Hanji wasted no time asking Levi where the package was, and she dug through the cases where he directed her to. Then Eren whispered in Levi's ear. "Is she from the government?"

"Sorta. She makes sure no one knows about me, and I make sure no one knows about her. Also, are you taking the package today?"

Eren shook his head.

"Good, I brought her here to inspect it. When's the pay coming?"

He fell silent, watching Hanji flip open the case with the missile and marvel at its sight. "The police searched her place."

"Oh?" This was probably one of the few times Levi showed any sign of interest.

"And they broke into my place too. My friend's missing, and they—" _Took apart my car too_, he wanted to say car, but he bit his lip. He already considered his options; Levi might be able to get him some new parts, but at what cost? Annie had been nice to an extent, but considering what he'd seen of Levi…

"Oi, they what?"

"They took him." Not that he knew for sure, but it was the only explanation he had. Hopefully Armin was alright.

"Sorry for your loss."

"You make it sound like he's dead."

"With the amount of police on alert now, he may wish to be."

"Done," Hanji cut them off, and they looked to her. "If you take a look at the new model, this is one you'd use for a launcher, but this is military grade stuff—recent models too, freshly stolen off last week's shipping batch. That's probably why there are so many police out on patrol now. Careful with this stuff, guys. I heard they've been trying to track down anyone involved with people who have something to do with your pretty little prize here." She glanced at Eren. "Best be cautious, dear. It'd suck to think you before flitting to Levi. "This isn't like the stuff you usually get, Levi. How'd you come across it?"

He scoffed. "Got lucky. So Jaeger's not taking it anywhere. You want it, Hanji?"

"Can't. I got places to be after this. How you managed to get it here to begin with slips me, but I'd suggest holding onto it in the meantime. Whoever ordered everything planned on making a big explosion, so best keep an eye on it yourself." Soon she stretched onto her feet. "That's it for me today. I'll ask you for that favour another day. Then she patted Eren's back, who gasped and snapped into attention. "No need to be so stiff, but it was nice meeting you, Eren. Who knows, I may need you to so something for me too some other time."

She waved goodbye as she left through the door behind them, leaving Levi and Eren alone in the room.

Levi glanced at Eren. "I still got a job for you today. No questions, no complaints."

Eren swallowed. What could he possibly have for him? Weapons pick-up? Stalking other dealers? If this was anything like Annie's jobs, he made sure to keep his knife close.

Levi mirrored Hanji's path out the room and back into Trost's streets without another word. All Eren was brace himself for meeting death's foreshadow again when he followed after. He expected Levi's job to be similar to Annie's; four out of five times, Eren was either jumped by strangers or chased down alleyways. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case here, but from watching Levi's strides, the way he holds himself up as if to stare down at everyone else (though considering he was the shortest around, he'd have to look up regardless), Levi still had an intimidating aura to him. It helped keep others away though—those passing avoided walking in his path line.

For a moment, Eren's mind blanked as he stared at the factory buildings they passed by when they reached the western end of Trost. In the middle of the chimney field, they reached a short warehouse in front of them. Levi swiped a small key card over an LED screen before pushing up the sliding garage door to get in, but Eren considered the possibility that he had followed Levi's doppelgänger instead of the real one when he realised this job might not even close to what he guessed it to be.

They walked inside the warehouse, walls encasing Eren as he glanced up at a lightless ceiling. Railings guarded the second floor that surrounding in ground floor like an arena pit, those up there with a clear view of everything. At least two trucks could fill the space here, Eren thought. Not even his dad's garages were ever this big.

In the meantime, Levi walked to one of the rooms at the right and came back with a bucket of water, a brush, and a duster, shoving them into Eren's hands.

"Scrub the entire floor. Don't miss a single spot."

_Huh?_ He stared at them. What a retrograde method.

"Just because it's retrograde doesn't mean it's not effective," Levi cut in as if he read Eren's thoughts. "It's quieter than those vacuum bots too." He had been glaring a few seconds ago, but his expression softened by now. "When you're done, come upstairs."

With that, Eren scrubbed the metal floors as Levi went to clean the upstair rooms. The warehouse itself stood twenty metres high, the width enough large enough to house two trucks within its square layout. Considering how often metal creaked and how loud the echoes were, he guessed the place to be at least thirty years old, maybe twenty. Who knew what they stored in here, but whatever it was, it was emptied out a long time ago. How Levi came to own this place, he wish he knew.

The moment he finished scrubbing to the corners of the floor, Eren raced up the steps to find a hallway set of four doors: two on his left and two more in front of him on the left turn around the corner. He spotted Levi inside the room closest to the left corner turn, so he quietly walked in, eyes glazing at the walls of the room. It reminded him of Armin's apartment, the way the window sat across from the door—though unlike the apartment, this room was empty save for the closet on the left side where Armin's bed would've laid in front of it.

"What?" Levi said, and Eren realised he'd been staring through him as if he'd never been in the room to begin with.

"Sorry, it just reminds me a lot of my best friend's place."

Eren watched Levi's eyes study his movements, the way he found himself swaying despite trying to stand still. "You're worried," he finally said a few minutes later.

If Levi had been wrong, Eren would've cracked a comment about how annoyingly analytical he sounded sometimes, but he was right. He should be either looking for Armin, fixing his car, or figuring out what Annie wanted him to do in the meantime. She didn't bother telling him about any of her plans nor what to do when he got caught in the crossfire of her plan's backfire.

Then Levi broke his train of thought. "So that means you're working tomorrow too."

"Why?"

"No pay, no Annie, and you haven't even moved the missile out of my garage yet either, so you owe storage collateral too. Make sure you're back here tomorrow; you're done for today. Go home or something."

"I can't." Then Eren sighed. "The police are searching Shiganshina."

"It shouldn't matter if you they haven't dinky find anything at your place—" Then Levi paused. His eyes soon flitted to Eren, who in turn glanced away. "Oh, so that was your stuff, wasn't it?"

He tensed. "What stuff?"

"Some new oil engine parts popped up in the market, fresh off the same area yesterday's police search happened. A couple of lucky bastards raided some houses and are selling their finds." He almost smiled. "No car frame, but they got a coolant set among other crap."

Eyes widened. "Where?"

"You're not getting any of them, Jaeger. The missile's enough trouble, and you don't have anywhere to put them." Levi sighed. "If you're done with downstairs, you're free to go."

Eren swallowed. Where could he go? It wasn't like he could stay in Armin's apartment without the police catching him if they were still there—not that he'd take that risk anyway. And as much as he'd rather go sleep out in the house his car was at, he'd rather risk getting scolded by Levi than being jumped or arrested in his sleep. "Do you know a place where I can stay for the night?" His voice came out meek, but Levi still turned to him with eyes slightly wider than normal, almost unnoticeable but there. Yet in a few seconds, his expressions shifts back to his usual scowl.

Eren couldn't tell if Levi could hear his heartbeat speed up when he scrutinise his movements as if thinking about jobs he could be capable of doing.

Ten, twenty, and soon thirty seconds passed. Eren swallowed. Each second felt like minutes before Levi finally motioned to the closet by the window. "Help me with this."

He nodded, standing beside him as he faced the closet. Levi slid the door open, and inside was a metal frame. Together, Eren and Levi pulled it and let it drop onto the floor, a resounding thud clanging throughout the warehouse. Dust kicked up, and Eren coughed as his eyes cloud up. Once his vision cleared, he noticed the object they pulled out was a bed frame with a rusty mattress.

"Dust out the mattress before using it."

For a second, Eren's head backtracked until he gasped. "Wait, you're letting me stay here?"

"I'd rather not to work with someone who slept on the streets. The least you could do is keep the place clean; don't track in dirt, don't break anything, and don't let anyone else inside no matter what. Do I make myself clear?"

Eren nodded. Shuffling a hand in his pocket, Levi pulled out a small wristband with a chip embedded in the centre and handed it to him. "Lock up whenever you leave."

He laid speechless, staring at the wristband, but managed to stutter out a "Thank you so much!"

Levi scoffed. "Cheeky brat." But for a split second, Eren could've sworn he caught a faint curl on Levi's lips as he left the room.

Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

_Tune4Toons: Sorry for the delay; it's been a really rough couple of weeks… Starting to second guess myself among other things asdfgksbslba…_

_Hope this chapter turned out alright. :) Didn't exactly address the Armin comment, but we'll get there haha. __Cheers!_


End file.
